Clothing set for practicing a winter sport

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a clothing outfit including two sleeves. The sleeves each has an opening for the end of the limbs to emerge. The outfit also has two accessories for covering the ends of the limbs and two devices for attaching an accessory on a sleeve. Each of the devices have male and female connectors. A male connector of a device is attached to an accessory while the female connector of the other device is attached to a sleeve or vice versa starting with female connectors. The male connector of the device can also be connected to a female connector of another accessory. The male connectors can be associated with either one of the female connectors in order to allow the association of the accessories on respectively a sleeve or with each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of French patent application number2011900, filed on Nov. 19, 2020, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a clothing outfit, in particular for practisinga winter sport such as skiing, snowboarding or sledging.

BACKGROUND

It applies in particular to a clothing outfit intended to be worn by achild, for example an integral combination, in particular for a veryyoung child, or a coat for an older child.

Outfits are known that comprise:

-   -   an article including two sleeves respectively covering a limb of        a user, each of said sleeves having an opening for a distal part        of said limb to emerge;    -   two accessories for respectively covering a distal part.

In the case of a coat, the sleeves are arranged to cover the arms of theuser, the accessories being gloves or mittens. In the case of anintegral combination intended for a very young child, the articlecomprises two supplementary sleeves each intended to respectively covera leg of said child, as well as two other accessories in the form ofboots or bootees.

When a sporting and/or play activity is being practised, theaccessories, in particular when it is a case of gloves, may slide fromthe hand of the user, which may interfere with their movements, or evenlead them to take off said gloves. Moreover, in some cases, the glovemay fall from the hand of the user, and thus be definitively lost.

To overcome these drawbacks, outfits are known comprising two devicesrespectively associating an accessory on a sleeve, each devicecomprising a male connector and a female connector.

For example, the document CN-209 090 081 describes an integralcombination for a child comprising four accessories including twomittens for the hands and two bootees for the feet, each of saidaccessories being able to be associated reversibly on a sleeve or a legof said combination by means of a system of male/female connectors ofthe press stud type.

This solution does not give complete satisfaction, in that it isdifficult to distinguish the accessories according to the lateralitythereof, so that the user or the adult assisting them to dress mayeasily make a mistake in fitting them on, in particular when it is acase of mittens.

Moreover, the accessories are generally dissociated from the combinationduring washing or storage of the outfit, so that the user may waste agreat deal of time in looking for them, in particular after a longperiod of non-use of said outfit.

The document US-2014/0173804 describes a safety assembly for avoidinglosing a pair of gloves, said assembly comprising two devices that eachhave two male and female connectors of the buckle/clip type for pairingsaid gloves and for removable attachment thereof to the garments of theuser.

To do this, each glove is equipped with a female connector that ispermanently attached to it by means of a strap loop disposed in a keepersecured to said connector. Moreover, the safety assembly comprises:

-   -   a first strap equipped with a male connector at each of the free        ends thereof, in order to allow the coupling of each connector        with the female connector of respectively a glove, said strap        optionally having a sliding buckle making it possible to vary        the distance between the two gloves; and/or    -   a second strap having on a first end a male connector compatible        with the female connectors of the gloves, and on its second end        a clamp making it possible to associate said glove with any        garment.

This solution is also not satisfactory, in that it proves to bedifficult to use for a child. In particular, the presence of straps maybe dangerous for a very young child, because of risks of stranglingand/or grabbing. Moreover, this solution does not make it possible tosolve the problem of laterality of the gloves.

SUMMARY

The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing a clothingoutfit for practising a winter sport that is simple and intuitive touse, in particular for a child, while being arranged to optimally limitthe risk of loss of an accessory, in particular during the practice of asporting activity or during the storage of the outfit.

For this purpose, the invention proposes a clothing outfit, inparticular for practising a winter sport, comprising an articleincluding two sleeves for respectively covering a limb of a user, eachof said sleeves having an opening for a distal part of said limb toemerge, said outfit further comprising two accessories for respectivelycovering one of said distal parts and two devices for respectivelyassociating an accessory on a sleeve, each of said devices comprising amale connector and a female connector, the male—or respectivelyfemale—connector of a device being attached to an accessory—orrespectively to a sleeve, the female—or respectively male—connector ofthe other device being attached to the other accessory—or respectivelyto the other sleeve, the male connectors of the devices being arrangedto be able to be associated with either one of the female connectors inorder to allow the association of the accessories on respectively asleeve and of the accessories with each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other particularities and advantages of the invention will emerge in thefollowing description, made with reference to the accompanying figures,wherein:

FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b show schematically in front view a clothing outfitaccording to one embodiment of the invention, the accessories beingrespectively dissociated (FIG. 1a ) and associated (FIG. 1b ) with theirrespective sleeves of the clothing article;

FIG. 2 shows schematically in front view a clothing outfit according toanother embodiment of the invention, the accessories being dissociatedfrom their respective sleeves;

FIG. 3 shows schematically two sets of accessories equipping theclothing outfits of FIGS. 1a, 1b and 2, said accessories beingrespectively dissociated (at the top) and associated (at the bottom) bymeans of the devices with which they are each equipped;

FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b show schematically a male connector of one of theassociation devices of the preceding figures, respectively inperspective (FIG. 4a ) and in top view (FIG. 4b );

FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b show schematically the female connector that iscomplementary to the male connector of FIGS. 4a and 4b , respectively inperspective (FIG. 5a ) and in cross section (FIG. 5b );

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show in perspective respectively the female connector(FIG. 6) and the male connector (FIG. 7) of the other association deviceof the preceding figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In relation to these Figures, a description is given below of a clothingoutfit intended to be worn in cold weather, in particular for practisinga winter sport such as skiing, snowboarding or sledging.

The outfit comprises an article 1 comprising two sleeves 2, 2 a, 2 brespectively covering a limb of the user, each of said sleeves having anopening 3 for a distal part of said limb to emerge.

In the embodiments shown, the clothing article 1 further comprises ahood 4 for covering the head of the user, said hood comprising a frontopening 5 intended to surround the face of said user.

In FIGS. 1a and 1b , the clothing article 1 is in the form of anintegral combination, in particular intended for a very young child, andhas two upper sleeves 2 a arranged for covering the arms of the user andtwo lower sleeves 2 b arranged for covering the legs of said user.

In particular, each lower sleeve 2 b comprises an elastic strip 6associated by stitching in proximity to its opening 3 for a foot toemerge and intended to come into abutment under said foot when fittingthe combination 1, in order to avoid bunching of the lower sleeve 2 balong the leg of the user.

In FIG. 2, the clothing article 1 is in the form of a coat intended tocover the chest of the user, said coat having solely two sleeves 2 forrespectively covering an arm of said user.

The outfit further comprises two accessories 7 for respectively coveringa distal part of the user. In the embodiments shown, each outfitcomprises two accessories 7 in the form of gloves or mittens intended torespectively cover a hand of the user. According to a variant embodimentof the combination 1 of FIGS. 1a and 1b , the outfit may also comprisetwo accessories in the form of boots or bootees intended to respectivelycover a foot of the user.

The article 1 and the accessories 7 each comprise an outer shellarranged to provide the protection of the user against bad weather. Todo this, the shell may comprise various parts produced from differentmaterials, in particular from cloths, leather, hide, non-woven fabrics,run-resistant knitted fabrics, knitwear or polymer films. Furthermore,according to the degree of protection sought, the shell may be formed bya plurality of superimposed textile layers.

Advantageously, the article 1 and/or the accessories 7 may alsocomprise:

-   -   an inner lining, in particular produced from a textile material        of the polar type, which is arranged to provide the thermal        insulation and to improve the comfort of the user; and/or    -   a padding, for example of the wadding type; and/or    -   an impermeable breathable membrane that is mounted between the        inner lining and the outer shell.

The gloves 7 each comprise at least one part 8 for covering the hand ofthe user and an opening 9 for enabling said glove to be fitted.

In the embodiments shown, the part 8 for covering the hand is extendedtowards the rear by a sleeve 10 for covering the wrist. In particular,the sleeve 10 has dimensions that are arranged to enable it to be fittedover an upper sleeve 2 a, 2, as shown in FIG. 1 b.

The part 8 for covering the hand comprises at least one housing 8 a, 8 bfor covering at least one finger of the user. In the figures, the part 8has a separate housing 8 b for the thumb and a common housing 8 a forthe other fingers. In a variant, the glove 7 may have for example twodistinct housings for respectively the thumb and the index finger and athird common housing for the other fingers, or one housing for each ofthe five fingers of the user.

The sleeve 10 for covering the wrist comprises a front end associatedwith the part 8 covering the hand and a free rear end in which anopening 9 is formed for introducing the hand of the user.

In the embodiment shown, the sleeve 10 is formed in a single piece withthe part 8 covering the hand. In particular, the glove 7 comprises anelastic structure 11 formed at the junction between the part 8 coveringthe hand and the sleeve 10 covering the wrist, in order to allow anautomatic adjustment of the glove 7 around the wrist of the user.

To avoid loss of the accessories 7, the outfit further comprises twodevices for respectively associating an accessory 7 on a sleeve 2, 2 a,each of said devices comprising a male connector 12 and a femaleconnector 13.

The connectors 12, 13 are attached to the accessories 7 by a tie 14 thatis engaged in a keeper 15 formed in said connectors. In the embodimentsshown, the connectors 12, 13 are attached to the gloves 7 by means oftextile ties 14, for example elastic, which are engaged in their keepers15 to form a loop that is attached by stitching in proximity to theopening 9 for introducing the hand.

Likewise, the connectors 12, 13 are attached to the sleeves 2, 2 a bymeans of a platform 16 that can be associated by gluing and/or stitchingon said sleeve, a male 12 a or female 12 b association structure beingcarried by said platform.

In particular, the platform 16 may be produced from a material, inparticular plastics material, that has an adapted thickness and/orflexibility to enable it to be perforated by a needle along theperiphery thereof, when it is attached by stitching to the sleeve 2, 2a.

Such an arrangement makes it possible to avoid the connectors 12, 13hanging along the sleeves 2, 2 a, in particular when they are not used.Thus the risk is limited of hooking the sleeve 2, 2 a onto an externalmechanical structure, in particular a ski tow or a chairlift, andtherefore the risk of injury for the user.

Advantageously, the connectors 12, 13 can be attached to the sleeves 2,2 a in the vicinity of the openings 3, in order to allow the associationof the accessories 7 in the position of respectively covering one of thedistal parts of the user. Thus the risk of slipping of the accessory 7during use thereof is limited, which improves the comfort of the user,but also reduces the risk of loss of said accessory.

In FIGS. 1a, 1b and 2, the connectors 12, 13 are disposed on the sleeves2, 2 a at a distance from the opening 3 that is equivalent to the lengthof the sleeve 10 covering the wrist. Thus the connectors 12, 13 make itpossible to hold the sleeve 10 covering the wrist over the sleeve 2, 2 aof the clothing article 1, which prevents the penetration of snow and/orcold air into the glove 7 and/or into said sleeve.

In the embodiments shown, the association structures 12 a, 13 a of theconnectors 12, 13 have adapted geometry and dimensions, in particular arounded peripheral shape, in order to facilitate manipulation thereof bya user, in particular by a child.

Moreover, the association structures 12 a, 13 a each have a top wall 17on which a set of transverse grooves 18 is formed, in order to improvegripping thereof by the user, in particular during association ordisassembly thereof.

The male 12—and respectively female 13—connector of a device is attachedto an accessory 7—or respectively to a sleeve 2, 2 a, the female 13—orrespectively male 12—connector of the other device being attached to theother accessory 7—or respectively to the other sleeve 2, 2 a.

Such an arrangement enables the user to easily put on the accessories 7while respecting the laterality thereof, which in particular enables achild to use said accessories autonomously. Furthermore, the inventionmakes it possible on each occasion to attach the correct accessory 7 tothe correct sleeve 2, 2 a, in particular by respecting the direction ofthe fingers for a glove or a mitten, in order to assist the child ifthey wish to get dressed alone and also to facilitate the life of theparents.

Moreover, to improve the aesthetic appearance of the outfit andergonomics of use of the accessories 7, the connectors 12, 13 may havedifferent colours and/or forms. Thus the male 12 and female 13connectors of a same device may be of the same colour, which isdifferent from that of the connectors 12, 13 of the other device.

Moreover, the play aspect can be improved by making provision for themale 12 and female 13 connectors of a same device each to bear acomplementary visual that forms together a design, for example of achildren's character (rabbit, bear cub, etc.), that is different fromthe one formed by the other device.

The male connectors 12 of the devices are furthermore arranged to beable to be associated with either one of the female connectors 13, inorder to allow both the association of the accessories 7 on respectivelya sleeve 2, 2 a and of the accessories 7 with each other, as shown inFIG. 3.

Thus the accessories 7 can be associated together when they are notused, in particular when the user puts on only the article 1, whichlimits the risk of loss of one of said accessories.

Advantageously, the male connectors 12 and/or the female connectors 13of the devices have the same association structure 12 a, 13 a, whichfacilitates manufacture thereof, in particular by moulding from aplastics material. In particular, in the embodiments shown, the maleconnectors 12 and the female connectors 13 both have identicalassociation structures 12 a, 13 a.

The female connectors 13 each have a housing 19, the male connectors 12being arranged to be snapped into said housing.

In particular, the male connectors 12 each have two lugs 20 separated bya groove 21, the housings 19 of the female connectors 13 each beingdelimited between two top 17 and bottom 22 walls separated by a slot 23.

The male connectors 12 each have a top wall 17 that is arranged to comeinto alignment with the top wall 17 of a female connector 13 when thelugs 20 are inserted in the housing 19 of said female connector.

Moreover, the housings 19 each have a central wall 24 with a formcomplementary to that of the groove 21, said central wall delimiting oneither side two compartments 25 for respectively receiving a lug 20.

To facilitate the introduction of the lugs 20 into their respectivecompartments 25, the groove 21 has an entry chamfer 26.

Furthermore, to make the association of the connectors 12, 13 reliable,one from the housing 19 and the male connector 12 has a tab 27, theother one from said housing and said male connector having an orifice 28for receiving said tab by snapping in.

In the embodiments shown, the male connectors 12 each have two tabs 27formed on respectively a lug 20, the housing 19 having two snapping-inorifices 28 formed in respectively a compartment 25 while emerging onthe top wall 17.

The connectors 12, 13 are produced from a plastics material arranged toallow deformation thereof when they are assembled and disassembled, inorder to be respectively able to engage and disengage the tabs 27 in andfrom the snapping-in orifices 28.

In particular, the connectors 12, 13 are arranged to enable them to bedisassembled when they are subjected to a tensile force that exceeds agiven threshold value, in particular to allow disconnection of theaccessory 7 from the sleeve 2, 2 a in the event of said accessory beinghooked in an external mechanical structure, and thus preventing injuryto the user.

1. A clothing outfit for practicing a winter sport, comprising anarticle including two sleeves for respectively covering a limb of auser, each of said sleeves having an opening for a distal part of saidlimb to emerge, said outfit further comprising two accessories forrespectively covering one of said distal parts and two devices forrespectively associating an accessory on a sleeve, each of said devicescomprising a male connector and a female connector, wherein the male—orrespectively female—connector of a device is attached to an accessory—orrespectively to a sleeve, the female—or respectively male—connector ofthe other device being attached to the other accessory—or respectivelyto the other sleeve, the male connectors of the devices being configuredto be associated with either one of the female connectors in order toallow the association of the accessories on respectively a sleeve and ofthe accessories with each other.
 2. The clothing outfit according toclaim 1, wherein the male connectors and/or the female connectors of thedevices an association structure that is the same.
 3. The clothingoutfit according to claim 1, wherein the connectors are attached to thesleeves by a platform, a male or a female association structure beingcarried by the platform.
 4. The clothing outfit according to claim 1,wherein the connectors are attached to the accessories by a tie that isengaged in a keeper formed in the connectors.
 5. The clothing outfitaccording to claim 1, wherein the connectors are attached to the sleevesin the vicinity of the openings in order to allow the association of theaccessories in the position of respectively covering one of the distalparts of the user.
 6. The clothing outfit according to claim 1, whereinthe sleeves are arranged to cover the arms of the user, the accessoriesbeing gloves or mittens.
 7. The clothing outfit according to claim 1,wherein a female connector has a housing, the male connector beingconfigured to connect into the housing.
 8. The clothing outfit accordingto claim 7, wherein the male connector has two lugs separated by agroove, the housing of the female connector being delimited between twowalls separated by a slot.
 9. The clothing outfit according to claim 8,wherein the housing has a central wall with a form complementary to thatof the groove, the central wall delimiting on either side twocompartments for respectively receiving a lug.
 10. The clothing outfitaccording to claim 9, wherein the groove has an entry chamber.
 11. Anoutfit according to claim 7, wherein one of the housing and the maleconnector has a tab and the other one from the housing and the maleconnector having an orifice for receiving the tab by snapping in.